The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-23
TOPSY IN THE PULPIT.
An Appeal that Powerfully Moved the
MournerS Scat.


An Appeal that Powerfully Moved the
Mourners' Seat.
From The Ne,o York Tribune.
EGYPT, VA, Aug. 1S.-"Murdah! He'pl
Lo'd sabe dis niggah! Fo' Gawd, she am
KILN dis chill. Oh! sabe me, Massa Jesus,
sabe mer' These startling cries, punctuated
by blood-curdling shrieks, breaking sud
denly upon the still Sabbath air, brought
every occupant of the porch to their feet
with terror-stricken faces, except our hostess,
who never breaking the peaceful sway of
her rocker, compacently remarked: "Oh,
its only Sally beating Topsy." Then she ex-
planned: Its my gardeners wife subju-
eating her nurse. She keeps one, as do all
my hired people, though | do not. 4 new
phase of the much agitated question of capt.
tai and labor, you see" "But she's
killing herr nervously suggested the latest
arrival from the North, as the cries con-
tinued and increased in violence. 'Oh, no.
Topsys cries are more matter of proven
ton than cure. When the actual work of
chastisement begins there will be less noise
She has not caught her yet" A fact proven
by Topsy's suddenly precipitating herself
from the front window of the gardeners
cottage, well in advance of the corpulent
figure of her irate mistress. You little
O darkness! eber git my
hans on you l break cherry bone in your
body, suah!n cried the latter, nearly tum-
bling out of the window after her refrac-
tory servant in her excitement. YAH
yahl You cher gifts yo' hams on me" piped
Topsy, from the lower limb of a cherry
tree on which she was safely perched.
when yo' does yo' know it. Reckon dis
Niger will, tool Mrs. Sareh Ann Jinkinsl
Mrs. When ! calls yo' Mrs. it'll be when
dab amt no white ladies to redress by dat
inspetable mannah. | calls yo' OF Sal
Jinkins. OATS wha' calls yo', en- dats wha'
yo' is"
A space later l saw the mistress compla-
Gently walking off to church with her dusky
spouse. Topsy watched them safely out of
sight and then dropped to the ground,
where her small charges gathered around
her and were Immediately joined by the
fair-haired daughters of my hostess Now
said Topsy, you little ladies jis wait till
puts up dis mou'ners' bench, an den Is
goin' ter call do meetin to odah." Evil
IDENTITY mournerS' bench is the first requis-
tie of divine service in her estimation.
''Now, dem she announced, taking her
place on pstump while lines de hymn
do bredren an sist's will walk up an take
dab places on de anxious seat" 1t must, in
truth, be an anxious seat, for it shakes and
trembles alarmingly as the small congrega-
ton comply with her request Meanwhile
Topsy lines and sings with deep-voiced
solemnity:
'No use fo' to weep an TO to cry in de mo- min;
Oh Satins comm, but don you run.
Put on de amor an leble up yo' gun,
An YOU all be angels 10y am by"
And with great enthusiasm her small con-
gregation, especially the colored portion,
sweeps into the refrain:
Gsro,,a la,, s;.,t, ,yo,,s 40, o,,,
| Yo'll all be angels by am by,
A wahu oh de amor oh de Lo,
| By am by,
| Yo' all be angels by am by"
Then Topsy continues in solo:
Put on de robe. an frizzle up yo' hah,
| Git out yo' ticket TO de gospel c'y'r,
Watch TO de train an jump on boa'd,
| An YOU all be angels by am by"
Again the rousing refrain swells out, and
| then Topsy, exchanging the oak leaf that
has served her for hymn book for larger
one, supposed to be the divine law, ex-
| pounds:
shy brederen an sist's, l takes fo' my tex
de Fifteenth cheptah OBJ de twGntyf varse oh
St Maf'ue: De debil am a roah'in' lion
watchin' roun' fo' cherry niggah he Min keech
to 'vour EN- Dat am do wo'd an dat am
He am layin' TO- us all, my chil'en; a
reachin out an a grabbin' arter us, an ei
he eber git he grip in our maps we is gone
niggahs, suah. He neber let up till he yanR
us down inter dat brack hole, wah-wah we
dun burn up, but we jist lays an sizzels TO
cher an cher"
This the embryo pastor evidently consid
erS n strong point, and waits for it to take
effect; but the congregation sit in open-eyed
and opan-mouthed attention, unmoved by
aught but aStonishment.
"0h. yest my beloved hearers goes on
Topsy, "dat am wah we STAN on dab ain
no scape sept to fly straight TO de Lo'd while
de doc am open. Nowi Now! my chilen
now am de 'cepted timer But the flood OF
eloquence is exhausted, and the obdurate
flock still SIT unmoved After a momen-
tary pause Topsy turns upon them fierccly
with: "Look yere, dun yo' know it's bout
time some ob yo' fool niggahs wah gettin
de powah" This unexpected reminder
of a neglected duty causes slight
flutter in the congregation, not serious
In itself but too much for the anxious seat
which suddenly tips over, occasioning
general backsliding of the flock. and con
verting the erst devout congregation into q
mixed mass Of limbs, black, brown and
daintily shod. The pastor, after gasp of
aStonishnent, cries: "Heah, dab. you bracl,
niggahs, dun yo' move till fish desc little
white ladies' out" Then remarks 70 the
white sheep of the flock, Dem fool niggahs
dun know nufen. Da ain got no fo6ch up.
Da dun chen know how 10 git happy when
de time comes. Les go down in de Gavin
house an hab a circus P'raps da' know
how TO reform in dat bettah"